Table Of ContentMMiinnnneessoottaa SSttaattee UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, MMaannkkaattoo
CCoorrnneerrssttoonnee:: AA CCoolllleeccttiioonn ooff SScchhoollaarrllyy
aanndd CCrreeaattiivvee WWoorrkkss ffoorr MMiinnnneessoottaa
SSttaattee UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, MMaannkkaattoo
All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other
Capstone Projects Capstone Projects
2012
CCoommppaarriinngg AAII AArrcchheettyyppeess aanndd HHyybbrriiddss UUssiinngg BBllaacckkjjaacckk
Robert Edward Noonan
Minnesota State University - Mankato
Follow this and additional works at: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds
Part of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Commons
RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn
Noonan, R. E. (2012). Comparing AI Archetypes and Hybrids Using Blackjack [Master’s thesis, Minnesota
State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State
University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/336/
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone
Projects at Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. It
has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects by an
authorized administrator of Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State
University, Mankato.
Comparing AI Archetypes and Hybrids
Using Blackjack
by
Robert E Noonan
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science
in
Computer Science
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
July 2012
Comparing AI Archetypes and Hybrids Using Blackjack
Robert E Noonan
This thesis has been examined and approved by the following members of
the thesis committee.
Dr. Rebecca Bates, Advisor
Dr. Dean Kelley
Dr. Christophe Veltsos
iii
Abstract
The discipline of artificial intelligence (AI) is a diverse field, with a vast variety of
philosophies and implementations to consider. This work attempts to compare several of these
paradigms as well as their variations and hybrids, using the card game of blackjack as the field of
competition. This is done with an automated blackjack emulator, written in Java, which accepts
computer-controlled players of various AI philosophies and their variants, training them and
finally pitting them against each other in a series of tournaments with customizable rule sets. In
order to avoid bias towards any particular implementation, the system treats each group as a
team, allowing each team to run optimally and handle their own evolution. The primary AI
paradigms examined in this work are rule-based AI and genetic learning, drawing from the
philosophies of fuzzy logic and intelligent agents. The rule-based AI teams apply various
commonly used algorithms for real-world blackjack, ranging from the basic rules of a dealer to
the situational “rule of thumb” formula suggested to amateurs. The blackjack options of hit,
stand, surrender, and double down are supported, but advanced options such as hand splitting
and card counting are not examined. Various tests exploring possible configurations of genetic
learning systems were devised, implemented, and analyzed. Future work would expand the
variety and complexity of the teams, as well as implementing advanced game features.
iv
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 2 - Background ..................................................................................................... 4
2.1. Intelligent Agents............................................................................................................ 4
2.2. Rule-Based AI ................................................................................................................. 4
2.3. Genetic Algorithms ........................................................................................................ 5
2.4. Fuzzy Logic ..................................................................................................................... 7
2.5. Games and Artificial Intelligence ................................................................................. 8
Chapter 3 - Methodology .................................................................................................. 11
3.1. The Program ................................................................................................................. 11
3.1.1. The Table ............................................................................................................... 11
3.1.2. The Player .............................................................................................................. 13
3.1.3. The Team ............................................................................................................... 14
3.2. The Player Types .......................................................................................................... 14
3.2.1. Dealer Rules ........................................................................................................... 14
3.2.2. Expert Rules .......................................................................................................... 15
3.2.3. Standard Genetic Learning .................................................................................. 16
3.2.4. Genetic Learning with Fuzzy Logic .................................................................... 18
3.2.5. Gene-by-Gene Genetic Learning ......................................................................... 19
3.2.6. Genetic Learning with a Head Start ................................................................... 19
3.2.7. Genetic Learning With Memory ......................................................................... 20
3.3. The Algorithms ............................................................................................................. 21
3.3.1. Playing a Hand of Blackjack ................................................................................ 22
3.3.2. Training a Genetic Learning Team ..................................................................... 24
3.3.3. Testing and Scoring .............................................................................................. 25
3.4. Evaluating the Approaches ......................................................................................... 25
Chapter 4 - Experiments and Results ............................................................................... 28
4.1. The Randomized Test .................................................................................................. 28
4.2. The Initialized Test....................................................................................................... 30
4.3. The H17-Initialized Test .............................................................................................. 32
v
4.4. The Volatility Test ........................................................................................................ 33
4.5. The Extended Training Test........................................................................................ 36
4.6. The Multideck Test ...................................................................................................... 37
4.7. H17 Rules Test .............................................................................................................. 39
4.8. Variation Test ............................................................................................................... 40
4.9. Impact of Initial Settings ............................................................................................. 41
4.10. Comparison to Previous Work ................................................................................ 42
Chapter 5 - Conclusions .................................................................................................... 44
References .................................................................................................................... 46
Supplemental Files ............................................................................................................. 49
vi
List of Figures
Figure 3.1: Core Classes for Blackjack Simulator: The Table ................................................12
Figure 3.2: Core Classes for Blackjack Simulator: The Players .............................................13
Figure 4.1: Rule-based Team Results of Randomized Test .....................................................28
Figure 4.2: Genetic Learning Team Results of Randomized Test ...........................................29
Figure 4.3: Rule-Based Team Results of Initialized Test .........................................................31
Figure 4.4: Genetic Learning Team Results of Initialized Test ...............................................31
Figure 4.5: Genetic Learning Team Results of H17-Initialized Test ......................................33
Figure 4.6: Using 100 Hands per Generation with Memory GL .............................................34
Figure 4.7: Using 100,000 Hands per Generation with Memory GL ......................................35
Figure 4.8: Difference between High and Low Scores by Generation with Memory GL .....35
Figure 4.9: Extended Test of Memory GL Team (250 Generations) ......................................37
Figure 4.10: Rule-Based Team Results of Multideck Test .......................................................38
Figure 4.11: Genetic Learning Team Results of Multideck Test .............................................38
Figure 4.12: Rule-Based Team Results of H17 Rules Test .......................................................39
Figure 4.13: Genetic Learning Team Results of H17 Rules Test ............................................40
Figure 4.14: Seven GL Memory Trials with Randomized Initialization ................................41
Figure 4.15: Headstart Team Progress Across Multiple Tests ................................................41
Figure 4.16: Rule-Based Team Win Percentage for Randomized Test ..................................43
Figure 4.17: Genetic Learning Team Win Percentage for Randomized Test ........................43
vii
List of Tables
Table 3.1: Wizard of Odds Decision Matrix ............................................................................ 16
Table 3.2: Beating Bonuses Decision Matrix ........................................................................... 16
Table 3.3: Summary of Tests .................................................................................................... 26
1
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Two hundred dollars are sitting on a green felt table. The player looks down at the cards
in front of him, an ace of clubs and an eight of spades. The player looks across the table to where
the dealer is watching with an expression of detached serenity, patiently waiting for the choice to
be made. Before him is a queen of hearts and another card lies face down beside it. The other
players are waiting as well, though nowhere near as patiently. One choice would double that
money, but which? One choice would take it all away, but which? Which would you choose?
Making decisions in blackjack can be modeled by rules and other learning approaches. This
work asks the question of whether genetic learning can develop an artificially intelligent player
that can play as well as – or better than – the rules devised by various dealers and experts.
As card games go, blackjack is one of the simplest. Every card has a value: number cards
are worth whatever number they display, face cards (jacks, queens, and kings) are worth ten
points each, and aces are either worth one point or eleven, whichever suits the player’s hand best.
The goal of the game is to collect a hand of cards whose total value is greater than that of the
dealer’s hand, yet no greater than twenty one.
A game of blackjack follows a simple pattern. Each player places a bet on the table. The
dealer deals two cards to each player at the table as well as two for the dealer. Each of these
cards is visible to everyone at the table, with the exception of the first card the dealer drew,
which is held face down. Once the cards have been dealt, each player takes turns deciding
whether to draw another card, known as “hitting”, leave the cards alone for the rest of the game,
known as “standing”, or pursue one of the more rare, situational options available in the game.
Once each player has finished drawing cards, the dealer draws the rest of his or her hand,
drawing cards until the hand passes a predetermined total. Any player who has a total that
2
surpasses the dealer’s, yet remains under twenty one, wins the game, while anyone who matches
the dealer’s total neither wins nor loses anything. If the dealer’s total goes over twenty one, then
anyone whose total is twenty one or less wins. How much the winners receive for their victory
depends on the dealer, but the most basic version is that for every unit (e.g., dollar, chip, or
point) a player bets, they get two back if they win [1].
Besides the standard hit and stand options, there are some additional options that have
situational uses. The first of these is the “double down”, which can only be used during a
player’s first turn. The player receives one more card and then stands, and whatever bet they
originally made is doubled. The second option is “surrender”, where the player automatically
loses but whatever bet they originally made is halved. This limits the cost of losing a hand, but
does so at the expense of any potential positive outcome. A third option, called “split”, is only
available if the player starts with a pair of identical cards, allowing them to turn the two cards
into two separate hands, draw another card for each, and play both hands at the same time.
Additional information about blackjack may be found online, including on professional gambling
advice websites such as Wizard of Odds [2] and Beating Bonuses [1]. This work will focus on
the standard rules of blackjack as well as the situational rules of double down and surrender.
While many players may attempt to “count cards”, a blackjack strategy where the player keeps
track of which cards have been played so far and uses this information to adjust their predictions
as to which card the dealer is hiding, this will not be explored here.
Blackjack is a useful game for testing artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. The rules are
straight forward; the possible interactions are tightly defined; the risks and the rewards are
clearly stated, as are the situations in which risks and rewards apply. All of these make it an easy
game to implement and test. The most important aspect of the game, however, is the fact that the
Description:paradigms examined in this work are rule-based AI and genetic learning, drawing from the philosophies of fuzzy logic and intelligent agents. The rule-based AI teams apply various commonly used algorithms for real-world blackjack, ranging from the basic rules of a dealer to the situational “rule o
